Supercars returns to Pukekohe Park, its spiritual New Zealand home, over the weekend of September 9 to 11 for the ITM Auckland Supersprint featuring a non-championship support round of the Toyota 86 field.
The Toyota 86 championship will be using the opportunity to prepare for the 2023 championship, but we will hopefully see the addition of a few interesting wild card entries also.
An amazing prize pool of almost $25,000 for the one-off weekend is the biggest for a single weekend of racing in the history of the Toyota 86 Championship, which will mark its tenth season in 2023 when the official summer season blasts off in January.
There’s plenty of track time over the big weekend for competitors and teams to look forward to as well. There will be two 20 minute practice sessions, 20 minutes of qualifying and three races.
The format will follow current Toyota 86 Championship protocols closely, with the first race grid determined by qualifying times, the second a reverse top eight of the Race 1 finishing order and the final feature race based on points scored in the first two races.
The pole position winner will secure $500 in TGRNZ credits, with podium finishers over the weekend banking $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third. The round winner will secure an amazing $7,500 in TGRNZ credits, with the runner up winning an impressive $5,000 and third place $2,500. Top master will secure $2,000 and the best rookie will win a similar amount. All credits must be used in TGRNZ championships in 2023.
To help get everyone up to pace, TGRNZ is also organising two test days for prospective competitors, one at Pukekohe itself on Friday August 19th and a second at Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park on Wednesday August 24th, using the international layout.
Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand Motorsport Manager Nicolas Caillol says his team has really pushed the boat out to make the event a huge one for both Toyota 86 racers and fans.
“It’s a massive prize pool for sure and would really make a dent in the budget for anyone looking at competing in the Toyota 86 Championship in 2023,” he said.
“We already have massive interest in the 2023 championship which could well turn out to be our biggest ever. We’re very excited how it is all shaping up for what will also be the tenth anniversary of the Toyota 86 series. That’s a big landmark for everyone at Toyota New Zealand and the Supercars weekend is going to be a fantastic precursor to a big season.”
Main image: Bruce Jenkins
